Natural Ways To Curb Your Appetite And Stop Overeating

After trying some questionable diets, and living with eating habits that were borderline disordered at one point or another, you made a promise to yourself: no matter how you got in shape, lost weight or stayed slender, you would never allow yourself to be hungry. You love yourself too much to walk around with hunger pangs for several hours until you’re “allowed” to eat again. It’s a healthy and honorable promise, but there’s just one problem; you’re hungry a lot more than you ever realized, and at the rate you’re eating, you cannot get to the weight you want. You’re not in on the secret that svelte women everywhere are on; natural appetite suppressants. You don’t need scary pills to kill your cravings; perfectly normal and whole foods can help you. Here are natural ways to curb your appetite.

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Soup

The brain and stomach work in mysterious ways. Often, by simply seeing a large portion of food, your brain believes you will become full. That could be a large portion of low-calorie, water-heavy soup.

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Coffee

Next time you wake up wanting three breakfast burritos, beeline it for your coffee maker. The liquid fills you up with no calories, and your body’s process of reacting to caffeine distracts it from hunger. Just make sure you don’t add calorie-heavy sugar and cream.

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Tea

If you don’t like coffee, you can just stick to tea. You’ll want a caffeinated variety, but there are some great flavors out there that will make you forget all about that pastry in the café window.

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Eggs

Eggs are a super efficient food. They contain a lot of protein in very few calories. Having just two can satisfy you more than a whole stack of pancakes could.

Spicy food

There is evidence that certain spices boost your metabolism and increase feelings of satiety. The boost may be small but it’s better than nothing.

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Potatoes

While you may be in anti-carb mode, potatoes are one carb you shouldn’t cut out. Unlike things like pasta and bread that your body rapidly turns into sugar, this particular food sits in your stomach for more time than others, helping you feel full longer.

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Sleep

You know that one friend who never exercises but manages to stay slender? There is a good chance that she gets plenty of sleep! Sleep is a miracle appetite suppressant in more ways than we can count here, but just to give you an idea, getting enough zzz’s can regulate your hormones which can regulate your appetite.

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A little something sweet

If and when you’ve eaten the number of calories you’d like to eat at one meal, reach for something sweet. All it takes is one little bite to tell your brain, “Okay, meal time is over!” because your brain associates sugar with the end of a meal.

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Lettuce, lettuce, and more lettuce

I know; you were hoping salads wouldn’t show up anywhere on this list. But the combination of water and fiber in dark lettuce will make you feel full when you’ve barely consumed any calories.

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Eat complicated foods

What is this girl talking about, right? Well, when you eat foods that require lots of cutting, assembling, dipping and chopping mid-meal it takes you longer to eat. Part of the way your brain assesses how full it is is by asking, “How long have I been eating?”

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Doing what you love

This is a tall order, but hear me out; if you really do what you love every day, then all you’ll want to do is more of it. You won’t want to take snack breaks because you’ll just want to keep working towards your goal. If you lead a life you don’t love, you’re bound to snack away the sadness and boredom a lot more.

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Eat what you love

This may be slightly unconventional, but it’s the way the French do it. Rather than try to distract yourself from the food you really want with other, lower-calorie foods, and then eventually also eating the food you wanted because you couldn’t forget about it, skip that middle step. Go straight for the burger, or spaghetti Carbonara, and just eat a small portion. Once you’ve eaten what you wanted, your brain can forget about food and move on.

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Fish

You may have noticed that you don’t need to eat as much fish as you do pork, red meat or other protein sources to feel satisfied. Why? Because fish, especially those full of omega-3s like herring and salmon, helps you produce an appetite-curbing hormone.

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Go for a power walk

It may seem odd to burn calories when you want to consume calories, but when you exercise, a series of processes happen in your body that distract it from hunger and cravings. Just give it a try, and gulp down a lot of water when you get back. Don’t overdo it; a short powerwalk should do the trick.

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Have sex

Next time you want to eat something, but it isn’t meal-time, grab your honey for a roll in the hey. The feel-good chemicals that burst through your body after an orgasm will make you forget all about food.

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Eat this snack

A spoonful of peanut butter and an apple. All in all, this snack is around 300 calories but will fill you up like 600 calories. It’s a smart snack to have when you’re really hungry, but dinner isn’t for another couple of hours.

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A cocktail

Nutritionists and doctors may not come out and say this, but I will; one really good margarita can help you pass up on the Chile Rellenos until your healthy, tostada salad arrives. Alcohol still has sugar and calories, sure, but it has far less of any of those than the fatty appetizer you were eyeing.

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Don’t work or hang out in the kitchen

This is a pretty simple one, yet many people don’t think about it! If you work from home, and you get your computer, your lap desk, your cell phone and your notebook all set up in a room far from the kitchen, then you are far less likely to get up and grab a snack. It’s so basic that it’s beautiful.

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Prep your food

Sometimes, we snack because we haven’t assured our minds that a wholesome, delicious meal is coming. If you’re dreading the process of chopping vegetables and grilling meat and boiling potatoes, you’re bound to snack on other nutrition-less foods, which still leave you hungry. Meal prep some dishes you’re really excited about. Then you can relax and tell your brain, “Don’t worry—there’s a good meal coming so you can forget about the chips.”

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Schedule other breaks

A lot of times when you eat, you only do it because you get a break from your work. Food is an opportunity for a break, but plenty of other things can be, too. Pre-load your favorite show on your Tablet, plan a Skype call with a good friend or squeeze in a workout on your break. Have something else to look forward to.